New book creates a buzz of excitement

DEBUT Honeysuckle Hotel tells of the fun and drama behind rival bug hotels

A harmless reverie while driving through the countryside of East Cavan and into Meath led a local playwright to create a new children’s book.

Swellan native Catherine McKiernan lived in Mullagh for a few years and she happened to notice the numerous bug hotels between her adopted home and Moynalty.

“I was driving one day and I was thinking in my head I wonder if the bugs ever get fed up in one bug hotel, do they trek into the other one and have a good moan about the hotel up the road – so that’s really where the idea came from. Then I got thinking: gosh you could write something about that.”

A founder member of The Moogles drama group, Catherine is no stranger to writing original dramas. A special needs assistant at Carrigabruise National School, she also teaches drama to the pupils there and is well versed in creating sketches and scenes for them to stage.

Lucky

Catherine wrote two chapters of the book and put it away for a few months and when she returned to it, the story unfolded before her.

“I was very lucky,” she says of the organic writing process.

By the time she finished the 60-odd page tale, she had populated its dozen chapters with a dozen characters, half male, half female.

“It was really good fun to write because the characters have so many different personalities – you have your funny one, your shy one, your good solid friend, your leaders, your confident vivacious ones – there’s the range of people you meet in life basically.”

The story opens with Bertie Beetle breaking the news to the ‘evil’ Madam Dragonfly that her Habitat House Hotel, which was showing the wear and tear of time, had competition with the opening of brand new accommodation in the shape of the lavish Honeysuckle Hotel. The drama is ratcheted up as Madam Dragonfly’s former employee, a disgruntled Blossom Bee embraces the challenge of running the Honeysuckle Hotel. War is declared!

Looking back on the book Catherine is particularly fond of two of her characters.

“If I was acting in it, the character I would love to play is Madam Dragonfly – purely because I think you could go so over the top with her.

“Probably one of my favourite characters is Mike Millipede - I like him a lot, he’s funny. He’s such a confident kind of guy and doesn’t care what people think of him.”

Right track

The writing process was greatly helped by a pal living in County Clare who had four children at the time aged between four and 10 years old.

“I was sending the chapters to her for market research. It was great getting their feedback because then I was feeling - I’m on the right path here. For the younger ones, she was able to read it to her younger girls, and then the older ones, it was independent reading – so it’s covering a good range of ages.”

The mother of two - Jack and Shane - believes it is suitable for children up to the age of 13.

As a special needs assistant, Catherine was particularly pleased by the response of some of the children she works with when she read it during break-time.

“I genuinely can tell you it has a calming effect on them. That surprised me,” she happily reports.

The bright, charming depictions of each of the characters on the cover and at the start of each chapter were illustrated by part time artist Caris Tonkin.

Getting the story penned was one challenge, getting it published was quite another. Believing in the project, Cavan Arts Office came to the rescue with an outdoor performance grant as a source of funding. Catherine adapted two chapters for the stage – or more precisely park – and hosted an outdoor rehearsed reading in Abbey Park in recent weeks. Eleven children volunteered to play the various roles and took flight in this fun-filled drama. Aside from the great fun in bringing the bug drama to life, the event also enabled Catherine to fund a limited print run of the book. Hence, if you pass Easons in Cavan Town, you may notice the Honeysuckle Hotel taking pride of place in the shopwindow.

“They have been really good, really supportive,” says Catherine of the local branch of Easons.

Proud

“Being a Cavan girl I’m hoping a lot of homes in Cavan will buy the book and I will be able to go to reprint.”

Proud of how the Honeysuckle Hotel turned out, Catherine assures it is “more than just a story”.

“The basis of the book is the story of the two rival bug hotels – good versus evil, dramatic, comedic, and with cliffhangers. But as you read it there’s little facts teaching kids about bugs, but also I feel it opens children’s minds to creativity, and it helps spark an interest in the environment.

“What I would love for the book is to get children reading, free their minds from technology, promote imagination and those kind of skills. As you read on you realise its touching on the developmental skills children need for nourishment to equip them in life – that’s like dealing with the different personalities, dealing with conflict, and challenging bullies – there is a lot of layers in the book.”

She notes that it will help children discuss friendships and help equip kids with the tools they need to cope. “Not all friendships can be easy ones,” observes Catherine.

The Honeysuckle Hotel by Catherine McKiernan is available in Eason Cavan Town for €10.

Catherine is also running a drama camp in Cavan Rugby Club, Swellan, Cavan Town from July 4-8, where the Honeysuckle screenplay will be included in the scripts. She will run classes for age groups six to 8 year olds; and 9-12 year olds.